Effects of hydration on the mechanical response of individual collagen fibrils

Collagen fibrils prepared from bovine Achilles tendon have been mechanically tested through nanoindentation by an atomic force microscope using force volume analysis. In ambient conditions where the fibrils are expected to be dehydrated, the elastic modulus was determined to be 1.9±0.5GPa, while under aqueous fluid, it decreased by three orders of magnitude to 1.2±0.1MPa. In air, fibril fracture occurred along the axis and the crack lengths were quantized to the D-banding periodicity. The apparent hardness of the fibrils was estimated to be in the range of 0.35–0.6GPa.